>> this is bbc world news. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. z.t.e. union bank. and fidelity investments. >> your personal economy is made up of the things that matter most, including your career. and as those things change, fidelity can help you readjust your retirement plan. rethink how you're invested and refocus as your career moves forward. wherever you are today, a fidelity i.r.a. has a wide range of investment choices that can fit your personal economy. fidelity investments, turn

ere. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. hat can we do for you? > and now, bbc world news. >> hello and welcome to "g.m.t." on "bbc world news." i'm stephen sackur. our top stories -- jail or bail. south africa's paralympic star, oscar pistorius, is about to find out whether he'll be in prison before facing trial for murder. after four days of emotional courtroom argument, it's a question which could divide

south africans. what is fair treatment for oscar pistorius? italy prepares to vote, the rest of europe crosses its fingers. the center left battle it is out with berlusconi. will the result deliver stability? and two very different views of the israeli-palestinian conflict go head to head for a sought-after oscar. also in the program, jamie is here with business, looking at the eurozone. >> it looks like we're going for another year of recession. but the biggest worry is the growing divide between the two biggest economies, germany and france. germany continuing to grow, but france and italy as well as other countries sitting. >> it's noon near london and 2:00 in the afternoon in pretoria, south africa, where

chief magistrate, desmond nair, is about to announce a decision that will settle the fate of oscar pistorius. he faces trial on a charge of premeditated murder after his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, was shot dead in his home eight days ago. the question about to be settled is straight forward -- will he be freed on bail before trial or imprisonned? our world affairs droont, richard galpin, has the latest on a case being followed around the world. >> oscar pistorius has been brought once again to the court from the police station in pretoria, where he's been held now for more than a week. this time, though, a decision is expected on whether he'll be allowed out on bail or kept in custody for months before the full trial starts. but first, the court heard more arguments from prosecutors that pistorius should be kept in

custody because of the degree of violence in this case and because they say pistorius might try to flee. the shooting took place in his home in the early hours of valentine's day. prosecutors allege pistorius got out of his bed and shot through the door of the toilet, knowing his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp, was in there. but his defense lawyers say he thought a burglar had broken into the house and was inside. throughout this week, members of pistorius' family have come to court to support him. today his coach was also here, hoping pistorius will be granted bail. >> if he gets bail, i believe e must get or will get is that space with the family. i know the people is good, but you must give him space. >> very soon, pistol pest

should know if he'll regain his freedom before his trial or be kept in a cell. richard galpin, bbc news. >> let's get the very latest from outside the courthouse in pretoria from the bbc's correspondent, who is right there. how sure can we be that we're going to get this decision on bail or not within the next hour or so? >> what we do know is the magistrate said he needed a few hours to conclude and make his ruling. he says that in the next half an hour or so, we should be able to know whether or not oscar pistorius will be granted bail or not. of course, there's an unusual volume of traffic outside the courtroom. >> we seem to have lost our connection -- >> -- >> i think we're having real

problems with the link. if you can hear me, let me ask you this. we know that pistorius' family have been there in the courtroom over the last few ays. if the magistrate decides to grant bail, will he be able to go home with his family? >> he should be able to go home. in fact, he should even be able to go as early where the actual shooting did take place. in terms of if he is granted bail, but he can still appeal that court decision on an urgent basis. but that can also take some time. >> well, thank you for the very latest. we, of course, will keep watching this story through the next few minutes and hours. we'll keep you updated with everything that happened. when that decision comes, you will get it here on bbc world

news. the authorities in china have for the first time acknowledged that industrial pollution can be linked to clusters of cancer cases. the existence of so-called cancer villages have been mentioned in a report from china's environmental ministry after years of official denials. the report highlighted the risk from harmful chemicals in the atmosphere and in the water supply. the united nations has formally recommend jkt claims for compensation of thousands of victims from a cool air outbreak in haiti much the island had been free of the disease for decades before the outbreak began in 2011. scientists have traced the source of the cholera to a u.n. peacekeeping base and a leaking sewage pipe. the government of venezuela says president hugo chavez is still suffering breathing problems more than two months after his latest round of cancer surgery. mr. chavez is being treated as a military hospital in caracas after returning from a clinic in cuba earlier this week. he's said to have suffered from a severe respiratory infection

after his operation. palestinian protesters are gathering for a second day outside a prison just close to the town of ramallah, where four inmates are staging a hunger strike. on thursday, more than 60 people were injured in clashes with the israeli security forces, according to the red crescent. tear gas and rubber bullets were fired. there are also some reports of live fire being used. the bbc's john done he son joins us outside from the west bank. it does look quiet now. what has been happening the last few hours? >> well, the clashes started a couple of hours ago, and just as you come to me, i can hear the sound of gunfire. we're not sure if that's rubber bullets or live fire behind me. you're right, things have down down a little bit in the last half an hour or so. let's pan back behind me and have a look at what's going on. you can see the lines of israeli army vehicles.

they all look pretty relaxed. and then a few hundred meters up the road, the protesters have been pushing forward and pretty easily being pushed back by large volleys of tear gas and some rubber bullets and possibly live fire. now, these demonstrations have been happening today and yesterday. also today, we have reports of clashes in jerusalem and also in hebron in the southern, south of the west bank. we hear that more fire behind me. >> yeah, we just heard that. we know there are a number of prisoners on hunger strike, and we know that palestinians are expressing anger about the treatment of prisoners in israeli jails. but one does wonder why now? why has this issue become so current right now? >> well i think the truth is these men have been on hunger strike for a pretty long time, one of them for more than hundred days. now, this has been called an intermittent hunger strike, so he's broken out of it at some

point. he's also been getting water and glucose and vitamins, which is allowed him to survive so long, more than 200 days. it should be said his state, he's not good. he's said to weigh less than 50 kilos now. we've had the u.n. secretary general, bank ki-moon, calling for him to be either tried or released. these men in israeli jails are protesting being held without trial or charges in some cases, something that israel says it has the right to do if it thinks these people are a security threat. >> jon, thank you very much for joining us on "g.m.t." from the west bank. jamie is here with all the business news. jamie, i'm afraid we've got to start with some more bad news and a bad outlook for the eurozone. >> i don't think you can really say it's been totally bad. what they're saying is we're going see a falloff in growth in the eurozone at the beginning of the first half of this year, then it will start to peck up. but if you net it out over the whole year, we're going to see shrinkage. >> what is very striking is the different experience in germany

than other europe union, france. >> well, it's the core countries, the division between those, between germany and france and italy as well, because generally predictions are pretty grim. we can't expect any more real growth in the region until at least next year, 2014. it's a reversal for the europian commission, which released these numbers, that they would come back to europe in 2012. looking at the figures, it's expected to shrink. it is an improvement from .6% in 2012. the upward trend should continue in the second half of the year with 1.7% growth, which is protected for next year in 2014. now, it relies heavily on germany and an anticipated pickup we'll see about half a percent added to that economy this year in terms of growth. now, whether stephen only

france only expects a .1% increase. the divide is definitely increasing. there's more pressure to keep the eurozone afloat and the french to make their policies more business-friendly. a third economy is italy. that's faring even poorer. going into an election this weekend, the economy is still expected to some rnk by .1% now. -- schrenk by .1%. >> italy continues to contract for the next year, pretty significantly, much more than france and germany, which everyone has been focusing on today. i think we can expect italy's economic performance to be bad the next couple of years. >> but there is a growing consensus things could even get worse depending on the election results this weekend. it's been called the make or break election. if the winner departs too far from the economic reforms which were put in place by the outgoing president, the markets could turn against italy once again. our correspondent spoke to one of italy's most successful entrepreneurses, the man behind a jeans company. he certainly has his concerns

about the abilities of all the candidates going forward. >> just thinking about the tuation, just to make some little adjust, readjust, what exists. it's not really a program how to do something for this. one can maybe give it back to somebody. t's not the whole program. it's going to change italy. >> business news. >> jamie, thank you very much indeed. do stay with us on "bbc world news." still to come -- still in italy, the election process enters the final few days. we hear from people who tell us it is all about the economy.

>> just hours after two bomb attacks in the indian city killed at least 15 people, the indian government revealed it had received warnings of a general, but not specific attack over the past three days. more than 100 people were also injured as two separate bicycle bombs were detonated almost simultaneously in the city's market area. our correspondent in delhi, andrew north, says that india has been on high alert since it hanged the kashmiri separatist earlier this month. >> there were apparently some kind of warnings just two days ago. the indian home ministry saying that they received this information suggesting there could be attacks in several indian city, including hydrobad. that's get ago loft concerns, a

lot of concerns whether prevented. now, what we understand was that it appeared to have all the hallmarks of a coordinated attack. two bombs set off in close succession, clearly designed to cause maximum casualties. now, the moment officials have not suggested who they believe could be responsible, but there's speculation that it may be linked to the hanging two weeks ago of a man convicted for involvement in the 2001 attack on the indian parliament. the country has been alert since then. but at the moment, no primary responsibility, and officials not wanting to point the finger. >> andrew north in delhi there. the egyptian president, muhammad morsi, has called elections beginning in the last week of april. a presidential decree said voting would begin on april 27 and end in june. as in previous polls, the vote will be held in several stages

across different regions due to a shortage of election supervisors. analysts say mr. morsi and his muslim brotherhood movement will put an end to this. >> i'm stephen sackur. top stories this hour -- not long now until the family of oscar pistorius will find out if he'll get bail while they await trial on charges of murdering his girlfriend. the decision expected in about 15 minutes' time. palestinian protesters are gathering in the west bank for a second day. it calls for the release of four prisoners who are on hunger strike. now, final political rallies are taking place in italy as it's the last day of campaigning before the election there. according to polls, a third of italians say they still don't know who to vote for, but most voters list the ailing economy as the top issue, and nowhere more so than in the economic

heart of italy, milan, the capital. crucial region. it's the latest stop on katia adler's election journey. >> milan is known as the business capital of italy, providing a large chunk of the country's economic wealth. it's long provided a stark contrast to the stagnant south of the country. but now italy is in a deep, deep recession, and the crisis is felt here in the north too. >> we've come to this cafe favored by many businessmen and women to ask what changes they'll be voting for in the upcoming election. >> the main problems to access credit. banks are getting more and more close, because there is a huge system between young entrepreneur and it is world of business and the world of banks. we are in milan, which is the

capital of finance. it's regarding the opportunities to borrow some oney to start something. >> our economy is not just linked to domestic politics. it's also linked to europe and countries outside, jobs that used nobody italy are now going to emerging countries. we're left page huge taxes that have fewer and fewer jobs. >> we should have a strong government, and i don't think we are having the right position now of a strong government. i think we need something that's changed. and without a strong government, this can happen. but italy's problems go back

further than the current crisis. even before 2008, its gross in g.d.p. terms ranked between liberia and haiti. politically, italy is very divided, and the concern is whatever government is formed after these elections, it won't be strong enough to pass for deep, structural changes the country so needs. >> that was reporting from the italy and the economic troubles facing the country in the run up to the election. many ballots have already been sent in from outside italy, many of those are cast from what's called italy's forgotten generation who have left the country to find opportunities abroad. through the down turn, 50,000 italians have been leaving annually. over 0% of those going abroad are university graduates. within the country, unemployment for young people is now more than 36%. now, i'm joined by italian filmmaker brunetta, who made a documentary based on the people who moved away from the

country, and from one of those immigrants, an archaeologist. before we actually talk to you both, we would love to see a little bit of the film that you made, brulla. let's run a clip right now. >> just a glimpse there of the

film that brunella fili has made. let's start with you. the motivation for this film, why did you want to make it? was it because you are angry about what is happening to italian young people? >> i think angry is not the world that make me start, but this is just to investigate better the reason why most of my friends were leaving italy. >> is that really true, most of your friends? >> yeah. e biggest part of them leaving for europe or australia seeking better opportunity of job. >> is it because they cannot get work in italy or they cannot get the kind of work that they would rather like? >> no, it's both, i think. but also, to find a job, a normal job, not -- they are graduated and want to do, of

ourse, better job. >> there are ambitious young people all over the world t. seems sad in modern italy you, as a young person, really feel you cannot achieve your ambition. >> yeah, this is a feeling that this, because in italy, it's difficult also because of a lack not only of opportunities, but also meritocracy. this is a very important point. >> there isn't that sense of meritocracy. with a trish i can't, you are in a sense a case study. you're here in lone done. you're working as an archaeologist. tell me why exactly you decided your future had to be outside italy. >> well, when i finish university, i really wanted to pursue a career in archaeology. despite having completed my masters with top marks and having plenty of field experience, i was only able to have a job as a sales assistant

in venice for two years. so after two years, i was really set up, and i decided to try. you know, most of the u.k., because the u.k. has amazing archaeology, you know, in the system. the system is amazing. >> you can meet your professional ambitions here. here's the question for you. do you think for yourself and our young italians you ultimately want to go home, or will you make your life permanent? >> i'm very happy here. work-wise, i'm very happy. i don't know if i'm ready to go back toity scomplee face the same difficulties that i left eight years ago. >> right. it would be a tragedy for italy if all of these young people are permanently gone. >> it is. italy invests a huge amount of money on our education, because our education is funded, you know, we don't pay a huge amount of taxes, for example. they invest a lot of money on

us. but we're not able to achieve what we want to achieve, so we have to leave. >> we have to end there, but patricia and brunella, thank you so much. the oscars take place this weekend, and aside from the glamour of competing hollywood blockbusters, two israeli-produced films are going head to head for the title of best documentary. "the gatekeepers" and "5 broken cameras," both deal with the israeli-palestinian conflict, but they examine it from different view points. we get this report from the west bank village, where there are weekly protests against israel's actions in the west bank. >> they may not look like the stuff of an academy award, but one day they may be the most famous pieces of smashed equipment in camera history. >> this camera says my life. at qup 5 broken cameras" tells the story of life under israeli occupation in a west bank village. this man started recording the

story of theville annal's weekly protests against the building of an israeli security wall. he says israeli soldiers broke the cameras one after another. the israeli director helped to make that simple story into a powerful documentary. he says the film and the publicity surrounding the oscars means the palestinian cause will now be center stage round the world. >> i think people will be shocked by the story. for them it's a new thing to know. it's more about the daily life of the palestinians here and the israel control. >> one rival to that documentary, "the gatekeepers," a remarkable historical document of a film built around interviews with every living former director of israel's internal security agency. it's an inside track on the

history of modern israel. people were often frustrated. >> i asked if we could be described to them. i haven't seen them at the negotiating table for years. >> and i think it shows that the world, the international community or the oscar writers are much more interested in these conflicts than what goes on here. i think it's sad, and i think it should change. >> every film travels a long road. few surely so long as these two contenders from the middle east. it's a long way from the west bank village, but it's possible these two films are about to do what the politicians in the middle east have failed to do, and that's put the peace process back on the world's agenda. kevin connolly, bbc news. >> you're watching "g.m.t."

line loon our top story -- the case of oscar pistorius, a key moment coming up. chief magistrate desmond nair is about to announce his decision on the question, bail or no bail for the south african paralympic superstar. we will bring that decision to you just as soon as it happens, but for now, we encourage you to stay with us here on "bbc world news." >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. fidelity investments. union bank. and z.t.e.